Translated material
Got it done
E.ON Ruhrgas believes in the strength of the new Russian-Ukrainian contract
E.ON Ruhrgas, the largest importer of Russian natural gas in Germany, is preparing to restore normal operation of its gas transmission plants in the very near future. Hening Deters, a member of the company's board in charge of gas purchases, who took part in yesterday's discussions at the energy congress of the Handelsblatt newspaper, did not hide his satisfaction with the agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine on new principles for gas supplies and transit to Europe. Given the hotly debated issue of a reasonable balance between state participation and the market in the activities of large companies in strategic sectors such as energy, the 100% private E.ON Ruhrgas has clearly demonstrated its high efficiency during the current crisis. For which, from the rostrum of the congress, he received high praise from Jürgen Grossmann, head of the board of RWE - the second largest energy concern in Germany and a direct competitor of E.ON Ruhrgas. In turn, Mr. Deters emphasized that it was possible to maintain a reliable level of gas supply both in Germany itself and to help supply countries that find themselves in a difficult energy situation largely thanks to the effective interaction of all companies involved in the gas supply process. Assessing what happened, Mr. Deters said: “There has never been such a supply interruption in the history of European gas supply.”Initially, Bernhard Reutersberg, Chairman of the Board of E.ON Ruhrgas, was scheduled to speak at the Handelsblatt congress, but he had to fly to Brussels yesterday. According to unofficial information, Mr. Reutersberg went to the European capital to “sum up the results” of the completed gas crisis. “We seriously expect that nothing like this will happen to us in the foreseeable future, because the agreement between the parties to the dispute was signed for a period of ten years,” a top manager of a company from Essen, who was present at the congress, told a Vremya Novostey correspondent.
Nevertheless, on the eve of the flight to Brussels, Bernhard Reutersberg voiced his view of what was happening. “Over the past days, we have clearly proven that E.ON Ruhrgas, thanks to its efficient gas procurement system and technical infrastructure and in conditions of extreme temperatures, is able to cope with a significant interruption in gas supplies - without any negative consequences for its customers,” says in Mr. Reutersberg's statement yesterday. -- In addition, we were able to provide assistance to gas companies in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly affected by supply disruptions. These countries are partly not among our clients. Thus, we helped improve the gas supply situation.” Along with this, the headquarters of E.ON Ruhrgas in Essen yesterday once again confirmed that all of the company’s direct customers, without exception, continue to receive gas in full.
“Ensuring a reliable gas supply will continue to be the core of our strategy,” Mr. Reutersberg emphasized. “In the next three years, E.ON Ruhrgas plans to implement an investment program worth many billions of euros.” At the same time, the lion's share of investments will be aimed at expanding the national and international infrastructure of gas pipelines and gas storage facilities, domestic gas production, as well as projects for the purchase of liquefied natural gas. Currently, in addition to Russia (26% of total purchases), E.ON Ruhrgas purchases gas from Norway, the Netherlands, and also from producers in Germany.